New Yorker Critic Denby on Chris Nolan's Batman "Terrorism"

New Yorker film critic David Denby sees superhero epics such as Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and Marvel's The Avengers as signs of a bleak future for Hollywood cinema.

In an interview with TheWrap for his new book Do the Movies Have a Future?, Denby -- who likes Nolan's Memento -- said of The Dark Knight trilogy, "I can’t tell if he’s against terrorism or is a terrorist, I felt terrorized myself. The plot didn’t make sense in time or space and wasn’t sequential. Acts didn’t have consequences ... I don’t know what comment he’s making in Inception, it seems to be mainly about his own working style.”

“I’m not sure they’re creating an adult audience with Batman and 'The Avengers' parts seven, eight, nine and 10," said Denby. "After five sequels, I’m not sure there will be any interest in seeing a man and woman talking at a table, which may be the most exciting kind of drama, but you have to cultivate a taste for that kind of complexity.”

Denby added, “The big studios have broken their unspoken, unwritten contract with America, to offer some version of the country’s soul. ... Instead there is more and more fantasy and more and more pixilated fighting in the dead air of digital space.”

Even if you don't read his reviews, you might still be familiar with Denby's name from his very public 2011 flap over breaking the review embargo for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.